Novatel has issued a new firmware update for the U727, and PhoneNews.com asked Novatel what they had changed. The update was pushed to Sprint Connection Manager (now SmartView) late last month, and is available by running Check for Application Updates.
Oddly enough, the update actually fixes issues with Mac OS X. Novatel representatives could not confirm the specific cause of the issue, but suggested that all users (especially Mac users) update, as the problem affects multiple Mac OS X versions.
Of course, there is no way for Mac OS X users to directly update their firmware. Mac users must bring their U727 to a Windows PC, install Sprint SmartView, and finally, run Tools > Check for Application Updates…
You might also like...
Of course, there is no way for Mac OS X users to directly update their firmware. Mac users must bring their U727 to a Windows PC, install Sprint SmartView, and finally, run Tools > Check for Application Updates…
wrong…mac user do not need a windows pc for updates…Sprint and Apple have made a Sprint View connection manager for macs…no need for windows…go to sprint.com/downloads and its on the page right below choode your operating system
Novatel told us that the Windows client was needed to install the 1.14 firmware update. I’ll check SmartView and see if it supports the update.
Just tried it on a Mac with SmartView installed. Unfortunately, our U727 already has 1.14, so there’s no way to confirm if the update is available.
I will note that while there are a lot of options that are normally available in Windows, they are grayed out in Mac (like, PRL Update for example). So, I wouldn’t be surprised if you still need a Windows PC to see the update.
I’ve further confirmed that the update is not available for Mac. Per the SmartView user guide…
“The Update PRL and Update Firmware functions are not available in the current Sprint SmartView release for Mac OS. To obtain updates to your device’s Preferred Roaming LIst or its Firmware, you will need to connect the device to a Windows system running Sprint SmartView release 1.11 (or above). The corresponding buttons are both present and functional in the Windows version of the software. “
I was able to install the Windows version in my VMWare Fusion WinXP virtual machine and update the firmware. I couldn’t use it to connect (not that I’d actually want to), but the Tools/Check for updates still works to go update the firmware even when it’s not connected. I would hope the same would be true for Parallels and VirtualBox users.
Ive had the firmware update notification on my macbook pro for a month. It says it needs to download it and to click ok to install it but it never installs. Its an annoyance for now and Im foreseeing it as a headache in the future. I dont have a windows pc.
On my MacBook Pro using Parallels and v 2.27.0064.0 of SmartView I was able to upgrade my firmware. Thanks for the info.
-Dave Holden
Wait, it said it updated but it’s still the same version. crap. i’m still fiddling, hold please….